Eggplant with Cheese & Shrimp

I love appetizers. When I go to a party with a heck of an appetizer spread, I go to town. In fact, I prefer appetizers to dinner. I often skip dinner because I stuffed myself with so many delicious starters. I definitely think the Spanish got it right with their Tapas spread. Just hang out with a never-ending glass of Sangria and enjoy the constant plates of Tapas coming to the table. Heaven.

This recipe for Eggplant with Cheese & Shrimp, came from a wonderful cookbook I found at Williams-Sonoma, before kids. The Tapas Cookbook. The name says it all! Great pictures and fantastic Tapas recipes from Spain. Most are easy to put together. This one takes a few more steps than most, but it is oh-so worth it. I made these for our annual Christmas Eve party (yes, I’m FINALLY posting the recipe). Either I didn’t make enough, or they were THAT good, but when the last guests arrived to the party, there were none to offer!

You begin by cutting you eggplant into 1/4-inch rounds, sprinkle with salt and let it rest to draw the moisture out. Next, you dredge the rounds through flour and fry them up.

The cheese sauce starts with a simple roux, where you add milk and manchego cheese to create the creamy sauce. Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that, but you can get the details here! When the sauce is done, stir in some already cooked shrimp, top them on the eggplant rounds and bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes. Top with parmesan and parsley and watch these disks of deliciousness disappear!